The NFL Pro Bowl 2019 voting is underway with some of the game's best stars on the field in the running for spots in the annual football game. Among them are fan favorites such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Odell Beckham Jr., and Todd Gurley. However, there are also the unsung heroes of the gridiron and they include some names that Nebraska football fans are very familiar with. Here are the latest details on four of the former Huskers players vying for starting spots, as Nebraska football fans await future stars.
Suh, Amukamara NFL Pro Bowl 2019 nominees
A number of defensive players are currently headlining the NFL Pro Bowl 2019 ballot and they have a decent chance to earn a starting spot in the lineups. One of them is the Chicago Bears' Prince Amukamara. He's been part of an 8-4 team that has exceeded expectations thanks to its defense.
While the Bears' defense wasn't quite itself against the New York Giants this past Sunday, Amukamara has shown his abilities with 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. The Nebraska football Twitter account tweeted out their endorsement for the former Cornhuskers player asking for retweets as votes towards his Pro Bowl spot.
1 RT = 1 #ProBowlVote! @PrinceAmukamara
— Prince Amukamara (@PrinceAmukamara) November 30, 2018
How many RTs can this tweet get?? 😎 pic.twitter.com/gSWLDZd28p
Two other defenders are getting votes towards potential Pro Bowl starts.
They are the Los Angeles Rams' DT Ndamukong Suh and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' OLB LaVonte David. David was back from the IR this past Sunday to help his team against the Carolina Panthers. His return was quite impressive too. He had 12 tackles in the game including a sack of Panthers' QB Cam Newton. David also broke up a key pass Newton threw to D.J.
Moore early on, leading to a deflection for an Andrew Adams interception.
Suh made his return to Detroit for his team's game against the Lions this weekend. He'd finish the game with six tackles and a quarterback hit on his former teammate Matthew Stafford. Not only that, the L.A. Rams left with the victory, holding the Lions to just 16 points.
That win clinched the NFC West division for one of the league's top contenders this season.
Ravens' Koch looking at Pro Bowl nod
Former Nebraska kicker Sam Koch has looked great for the Baltimore Ravens this season too. Through his 12 games, Koch has punted 47 times and averaged 47 yards per punt. On Sunday, he was also part of a fake punt play in which he threw a first down to Chris Moore. The play even drew admiration from former Cowboys quarterback-turned-commentator Tony Romo as Koch is a perfect 5-for-5 passing in his career as an NFL punter.
#Ravens fake punt Sam Koch to Chris Moore pic.twitter.com/c3uQhc1Xrc
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) December 2, 2018
#Ravens fake punt Sam Koch to Chris Moore pic.twitter.com/c3uQhc1Xrc
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) December 2, 2018
That said, it seems all of the aforementioned players have decent chances to land spots on the NFL Pro Bowl 2018 teams.
It should be interesting to see how many of these former Nebraska football stars end up with starting roles. Voting is currently underway at the NFL.com website. The game itself will take place on January 27, 2019, in Orlando, Florida.
Meanwhile, as Nebraska is recruiting for their future stars, it's always possible that a player such as Wandale Robinson or another that they recruit to the team will be mentioned along with Pro Bowl nominees in the future.